Today Janet walked from Stourport to Highley, and with the help of the Severn Valley Railway, I was able to walk most of the way with her. We got a ride back behind a Churchward 2-8-0, a type of engine I occasionally saw passing my back garden when I was a child. (I seem to remember I also saw one a few years ago parked in Birmingham Moor Street Station and looking sad). Today, this is a recreational locomotive, in my childhood it would have been tugging heavy freight trains.
This transition from current technology to museum piece doesn’t always go smoothly, and usually doesn’t happen at all.
And it can be a little bit heartbreaking.
Janet has visited a number of churches on this walk. As places to visit, they are beautiful, soaked in history, testimony to the dedication of generations, wonderful places whose very existence is a piece of worship. And yet now, churches of the traditional kind are under pressure from the dysfunctionality of some of their own congregations, cultural change, and challenges to the idea of faith itself. So what is their future, as places and congregations? Something more than museum pieces I hope. But don’t be surprised if the new age involves a bit of heartbreak: change generally hurts. (Have a look at Romans 8:22 for instance)
Anyway, here’s a photo of one of the railway’s engines – not the 2-8-0 though….
Janet has been magnificent as ever, walking well, and a day and a half ahead of plan. We’ll need the day for the non walking day when we return this camper van to its owners.
The weather too has been lovely, ideal for this kind of scenery.